Not Just a Pearl
by katdoge
Summary: How did Pearl get to be so hopelessly devoted to Rose Quartz? Simply put, she became enamored with Rose's inner and outer beauty. Rose made Pearl feel like maybe she wasn't as worthless as she believed herself to be. Story is set shortly after the events of the episode "Rose's Scabbard."


"Steven?" A soft, motherly voice called out. Upon hearing his name, Steven sat up straight in his bed and turned to face the Gem. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He shook his head.

"No." It was around midnight, but Steven hadn't been able to fall asleep yet. "What's up, Pearl?" She took a deep breath and walked closer to him, taking a seat on his bed.

"Oh, Steven..." She placed her hand on his head and looked into his eyes. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. What I said was... out of line. I should have been more sensitive..." Steven wondered what she was talking about, and then the memory of Pearl yelling at him earlier came back into his mind. _How would you know?! You haven't even_ met _her!_

"Oh... about my mom, right?" She nodded. "Well, you were really upset. Sometimes people say stuff they don't mean when they're hurt."

"But it was still wrong of me. I can only imagine how upset Rose would be if she heard me say that..." Pearl looked down at her own lap.

"You... were really devoted to her, weren't you?" A bluish hue found its way onto Pearl's cheeks. "I mean, the way you talk about her, that look on your face when she's brought up, the way you were willing to risk your life for her..." The color on her cheeks intensified to an almost-sapphire shade.

"Steven, I... I was in lo- I-I mean," she cleared her throat. "I was extremely loyal to her. She saved me, after all." Steven's mouth hung open.

"Whaaaat?! She did?" Pearl nodded, regaining her composure by sitting up straight and closing her eyes.

"She did. But, that's a very long story that I can tell you tomorr-" When she opened her eyes again, she saw Steven's face right in front of hers. He was staring at her intensely with a huge grin and sparkles in his eyes, eager to hear her tale. She chuckled. "Oh, fine. But afterwards, you go right to sleep, okay?" Steven nodded his head.

"Well, let's see... To start off with, you should know something about my... kind, if you will. Pearls were mass-produced in the Homeworld. We were created for various miscellaneous tasks including war logistics and analysts, researchers, and even becoming servants. Because of this, we were raised to be selfless and intelligent. We were like pawns. For thousands of years, I had it beat into my head that I was disposable. I was not special. I was just like any other Pearl. My goal was to serve my higher-ups and that was it. I had no aspirations of my own.

When I met your mother... _oh_ , it was... nothing short of _magical,_ Steven."

 _Pearl remembered it clearly, being in that training arena, studying the forms of various Gems' fighting for upcoming battles. For some reason, she always wished she could fight alongside them, but she also knew that wasn't her place. The next fighter to step into the arena was someone who caught her eye. Pearl's eyes widened as she gazed upon this voluptuous form; giant pink curls of hair framing her face and cascading down her back. Clothed in a long flowing white dress and armed with a sword and shield, Pearl found it a breathtaking display of both purity and power. Her fighting style was something Pearl would describe as a beautiful dance; elegant and graceful. When the Gem was done demonstrating her might, she knelt before Pearl like a knight. Pearl's eyes and mouth were both wide open. She had no idea how to respond._

 _"My name is Rose Quartz," the pink-haired beauty greeted. "Please, if there's anything that I need to improve on, let me know."  
_

 _"I..." Rose looked up into her eyes, causing Pearl to become even more flustered.  
_

 _"Did I do something wrong?" Rose's eyebrows were knit in concern. Pearl shook her head to snap herself out of her trance._

 _"N-No, not at all! I... that was... brilliant!" Pearl knelt before Rose. "Please, Miss Rose... I am not worthy enough for you bow before me. I'm just a Pearl." Rose gave a hearty laugh, and it was like music to Pearl's ears._

 _"You are_ not _just a Pearl. I don't know what it is, but there's something special about you. Can you keep a secret?" Pearl blushed at this sudden display of intimacy._

 _"Y-Yes, of course!"  
_

 _"You know that planet, Earth? I'm... I'm training to fight for that planet. It's so beautiful and colorful... everything on it lives such a short life, but it sees_ so _many wonderful things in that life. It's fast. It's lovely. It's... incredible and also very sad." Pearl's eyes widened._

 _"Your... mentality is just as beautiful..." Rose smiled.  
_

 _"Come with me. You may be a Pearl, but you're not disposable. Just like Earth isn't disposable. You are both worth protecting and loving."  
_

Pearl wiped a tear from her eye. "Up until I met her, I had always viewed myself as worthless... but not in the self-pitying sense... in the sense that I could be replaced. I was like an object. I went from one job to another, and I was always depending on someone to tell me what to do." She smiled as a thought occurred to her. "I think I carried that mindset along when it came to your mother. I was never trained to fight, but I trained myself to fight for her. I wanted to be useful to her. I wanted to be a Crystal Gem and fight for this planet." Steven stared at her, taking it all in.

"Pearl... you told me she thought you were worth something."

"Yeah. She made me feel like I was everything."

"Then... why would you keep destroying yourself for her when you two fought together? Don't you think she would want you to value yourself also, instead of putting her above yourself every time?" Pearl stared at him incredulously, as if it was a thought that had never crossed her mind. She laughed, though sad tears were also streaming down her face.

"You really are Rose's child." She said, embracing him. "You're less than a hundred years old and yet you have all the wisdom that she did."

"Pearl... air...!" Steven's voice was muffled. Pearl let him go at once when she realized she was nearly suffocating him against her.

"Oh, sorry Steven!" She ruffled his hair. "But you know what? I compare you to her too much. You are a unique being, Steven. You are not a copy of your mother or Greg, but you're still a lot like both of them." Steven smiled and yawned, laying his head on his pillow.

"Thanks, Pearl. You too. You're not just a Pearl. You're special to me." With that, Steven dozed off for a few minutes but awoke again when he felt a presence next to him.

Pearl was still there. She stared at him and blinked.

"Pearl..." He said in a warning tone.

"So, I guess I still can't watch you sleep?"

"Nope."


End file.
